Monday, 28 February 2011

I had a sudden and unexplained notion to join a fitness camp recently. I guess not so unexplained since I am a huge fan of the Biggest Loser show. I googled for fitness camps in my locality and it came up with a solution which I thought was the perfect answer to all my fitness prayers. A fitness camp right near my home with perfect timings! The camp gives something called HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training.

Today was my first day at the camp. After getting up in the morning at the unearthly hour of 5 am I made my way in pitch black darkness to the campsite. I am sure I left behind my husband with amusing dreams of my losing my way, gasping on runways or fumbling on ropeways and treadmills!

Frankly, I had zilch idea of what to expect. Maybe some cute laps, a few stretches, sit ups and push ups like they do in aerobics class and some games. Like I said – I had a real vague idea. But this is what I got.

After a few stretches, the coaches gathered all for an innocuous sounding “fitness assessment test”. Fitness assessment, eh? For all my 165 pounds – I consider myself relatively fit. And assessment seemed a good idea – so I thought, till they started on it.

The group was divided into two and one group had to run back and forth for a distance of 100 mts or so for 10 times in sets of three – punctuated with squats, push ups, sit ups. Whew. My assessment of my fitness levels went for a toss. On the last stretch I had one of the coaches running along with me shouting – you can do it, cmon all the time as I panted, slobbered, gasped till I fell dead at the finishing line. Then I had the dubious pleasure of seeing my partner doing the same thing in less than half my time while I kept count.

The next bootcamp assignment started. The coaches showed us some markers around the huge field that seemed to stretch for miles. However it was just 200 mts we were informed. And we had to take 4 laps around the markers. The first lap went okay in the boggy and dark ground. The second lap, I just walked. The third I stuttered and by the fourth lap – I found all the participants lined up and shouting c’mon you can do it – as I dragged myself along to the finishing line. I was not last though. Not in a long way. I proudly left behind two stragglers. I felt like a dirty zombie at the end of it all – walking dead with mud splattered all over and blackened elbows and knees.

I did expect some tough fitness regime. Wish I was aware how tough! And I wish even more I never get these brilliant ideas!